By Prabhleen Kaur
These days, crime is not limited to robbers breaking into houses or pickpocketing. A new form of crime has emerged which takes place online and affects people from different parts of the world. Cybercriminals are on the rise and their primary modus operand is stealing through the internet be it money, personal information or even digital identities. This type of criminal activity is becoming alarmingly commonplace, and it is hard to apprehend these criminals. Hence experts have come up with an innovative way of getting them termed ‘Digital arrest’.
The emergence of the internet has fast tracked globalisation and improved inter connectivity globally. While we can shop, communicate, or conduct business seamlessly and with minimum effort, it has sadly also empowered criminals to defraud and rob unsuspecting victims with ease.
There are a number of ways in which a person’s financial security can be compromised. Hackers can gain unauthorised access to bank accounts, scam artists can craft sophisticated fake texts to fraudulently extract funds, while technologically savvy offenders can even produce synthetic videos and deep fake audio. The losses stemming from these crimes are massive as they affect not just individuals but corporations and governments too. This type of crime is referred to as cybercrime, which has slowly become one of the fastest growing issues in the world.
The issue at hand is that tracing these criminals is very tough. They do not need to be stationed anywhere to commit a crime–it can be done from anywhere in the world as long as there is a computer. This is where the concept of Digital Arrest comes in handy.
What is Digital Arrest?
A digital arrest entails halting a cybercriminal without immediately taking them into custody. Rather than police officers going door to door, specialists follow delinquents on the web using sophisticated technology. The experts look for clues like telltale signs of a digital crime, unusual money movements, and activity in the dark web to figure out who the criminals are.
Upon capture, online activity is completely swept out. They can have their bank accounts frozen and loss of internet access. In certain situations, they can be put into police custody after being tracked and followed. How Do Experts Catch Cybercriminals?
Here are some ways that experts catch delinquents on the web:
- Tracking Online Clues – Every internet activity leaves some sort of mark. These marks are then used by specialists to track where the crime is committed and how.
- Following Money Trails – A lot of criminals on the internet tend to use online currency for dealings and that includes Cryptocurrencies. These experts try to follow those different transactions.
- Incorporating the Use of AI – Sophisticated software is capable of rapidly examining vast amounts of information and spotting deviant behaviours.
- Creating Barriers to Online Crime – If a criminal is arrested, his bank accounts, as well as his online activity, can be frozen, blocking him from continuing the commission of crimes.
- Watching Over the Dark Web – Criminals tend to hide in the shadows, in secrecy parts of the internet. These hidden areas have to be monitored for potential unlawful activities before they take action.
Obstacles to preventing Cybercrime
Still, while virtual arresting someone is quite convincing, it is also complex. Cybercriminals are very intelligent. They have secret coding, decoy locations, and numerous other means of disguising their actual positions. Furthermore, the internet is beyond borders; one can be seated in a country while committing theft against someone located in a different country. The variety of laws in various regions makes it tough to prosecute an offending.
Tomorrow’s Vision of Fighting Digital Crimes
The developments of advanced technologies are limitless, as is the capacity of cyber criminals. The advantage is governments alongside technology companies are uniting their forces to make virtual arrests more effective. By using enhanced tracking systems, AI technology, and SOA all together, it is feasible to build a better guarded cyberspace.
Although fighting against cybercrime is challenging, it is a war worth fighting for. There is a fitting solution that each victim of a cybercrime either an individual who lost an entire life savings or a business which was hacked deserves. With careful measures put in place, we can construct an online world that can be made safe for anyone, and no hackers will be able to mask their identities behind screens.
—Prabhleen Kaur is a third-year B.A.LL.B. student of Asian Law College, Noida